Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has distanced his administration from the tragic stampede that took place outside Bengaluru’s MChinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL victory celebrations. The incident, which claimed 11 lives and injured many, has triggered widespread outrage.
Siddaramaiah asserted that the government neither organised the event nor was he invited. “The victims were hospitalized by 3:50 pm, but I was informed only at 5:45 pm. This delay is deeply troubling,” he stated.
Blaming police authorities for inadequate planning, the CM highlighted that the department failed to provide a full security brief before the event. “Five officers have been suspended, and senior officials, including the intelligence chief and my political secretary, have been reassigned. The government is handling this matter with utmost seriousness,” he assured.
He condemned opposition parties, particularly the BJP and JD(S), for politicizing the tragedy. “Their allegations are unfounded. Disciplinary action against police has already begun. We have even ordered a judicial inquiry, as demanded by them,” he said.
Critics pointed to the government’s permission for a victory rally outside the Vidhana Soudha. Siddaramaiah clarified that only conditional approval was granted and that the actual stampede occurred at Chinnaswamy Stadium, where police failed to enforce protocols.
A day after the incident, an FIR was filed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against RCB, DNA Entertainment, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association, with DNA being the event manager and KSCA the organiser.
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